Economist says corporate power could hurt environment

Friday

Apr 20, 2012 at 12:01 AM

NEW BEDFORD — The 2010 Citizens U.S. Court Case, which famously prohibited the government from limiting the amount of money corporations can spend in candidate elections, could have a negative impact on the environment, economist John Perkins said.

Ariel Wittenberg

NEW BEDFORD — The 2010 Citizens U.S. Court Case, which famously prohibited the government from limiting the amount of money corporations can spend in candidate elections, could have a negative impact on the environment, economist John Perkins said.

Speaking Tuesday at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Perkins said corporations gained huge levels of influence in environmental politics.

"They were given the rights but not the responsibilities of individual people," he said. "They don't buy offices in some sort of quid pro quo exchange of bribery, but it's the need that candidates have for huge sums of money that shifts the focus of the discussion and forces them to cater to corporations' wants.

"In this way, corporations can become even stronger than the presidency."

Perkins described how corporations' dedication to their bottom lines often resulted in inhumane employment practices in developing countries, as well as disregard for environmental best practices. According to Perkins, in the aftermath of the Citizens United decision, government officials lack the fortitude to regulate corporations while simultaneously hoping for large donations.

"The Constitution is premised on the belief that we the people hold the power," he said. "But the filtering system of lobbying gives corporations the power because legislatures need their money, so there is a huge level of influence that stands between us and our representation."

Using the example of how many corporations have moved their manufacturing arms to foreign countries like China, which has fewer environmental and labor regulations, Perkins predicted the United States would have to lower its standards for manufacturing to compete in the global market unless consumers take a stand.

"The Constitution gives us the power to protest what is happening, but we need to take it," he said. "We didn't get rid of slavery because the Declaration of Independence said 'all men are created equal'; we had to fight the Civil War first."

Because Citizens United changed the way politics works in the United States, Perkins said "going to the voting booth and pressing a button is not enough" to stop corporations' environmentally risky practices.

As consumers, Perkins said, everyday people had the opportunity to make smart choices in the marketplace, which he called "a democracy." In addition to only buying green products or boycotting products made with slave labor, Perkins said consumers should also send letters to companies of which they disapprove, delineating their reasoning.

"We don't have to get rid of capitalism entirely, but we have to get rid of this form of bottom line-motivated capitalism," he said, advocating that consumers eat only locally grown food and switch their bank accounts to local banks.

"We sent the message to the corporations that we want cheap shirts and if you have to make them with slave labor or at risk to the environment, we'll look the other way," he said. "We can't say that anymore."